1. Field of the Invention
The invention concerns an apparatus, preferably an adjustable apparatus, and system for detecting items, such as weapons of mass destruction, in cargo shipping containers or other types of containers. The apparatus comprises one or more detection means, such as portable scanning devices, and may comprise one or more optical character recognition means. The apparatus can be releasably secured to container handling means, such as a crane spreader bar, top pick, top handler, transtainer, straddle carrier and the like. The apparatus can be adapted to different size container handling means and containers throughout the world. Data from the detection means and optical character recognition means can be transmitted to a local processing system, and the data can then be transmitted to a central processing system.
2. The Prior Art
The shipping industry is considered a risk for terrorist activity, including the smuggling of weapons of mass destruction into a sovereign territory. The high volume of cargo makes it virtually impossible for the shipping industry to physically inspect the contents of every container entering the countries likely to be the target of a terrorist attack. For example, each year there are over 22,000 vessels calling on the United States. On an average, a vessel can discharge from 500–2000 containers at a single call. Cargo containers also enter the United States via intermodal transportation on trains from Canada and Mexico. It is estimated that, currently, less than 2% of all containers entering the United States are inspected.
The containerized shipping industry is particularly susceptible. The task of properly screening containerized cargo is compounded by the process of loading and unloading the cargo container. Unlike bulk shipping, in which cargo is loaded directly on to the transportation vehicle, containerized shipping involves the release of empty containers to shippers for loading at their premises. The container is then returned by an independent carrier, and consigned to the shipping carrier only just before it is loaded onto the transportation means, most likely a ship (vessel) or train. Given the current process, there is no feasible way to confirm that the contents declared in the container's manifest are the only items stowed in the container.
Current transportation systems have evolved to a level of sophistication that involves reliance on ocean carriers to provide “just in time” delivery for product sale. This dependency on the container industry magnifies the security risks in that the movement of each container cannot be delayed long enough to provide physical inspections of each container. Such delays would create a tremendous burden on the economy that would be felt worldwide.
Conventional scanning apparatus and systems for cargo containers include container based scanning, computer assisted scanning at the point of discharge, cargo scanning at the point of loading and X-ray scanning. Examples are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,058,158 that describes a vehicle capable of traveling along a parked container having an X-ray device to check the contents of cargo containers, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,838,759 that describes a combination of X-ray imaging and photoneutron probing to detect contraband and describes moving cargo containers past the detection equipment or using a straddle car to move the detection equipment around the container. U.S. Pat. No. 6,370,222 describes a verification system wherein an image of the contents of a cargo container is obtained, preferably a backscatter X-ray image, which is then stored in a computer data base for retrieval and comparison to a later image of the cargo container. Each of these has several drawbacks including cost and time factors, and may not provide detection of weapons of mass destruction prior to the weapon reaching the sovereign territory of the nation subject to attack.
Conventional hand-held scanners and drive-through portals impede the continuous flow of containers. Hand-held scanning requires that the containers be set aside for lengthy inspections and portals require that the containers be driven through the portal at relatively slow rates, such as three minutes per container, which is slow enough to impede the normal flow of a container terminal, considering the industry standard of about 45 to 90 seconds to load a container. Also, the high cost of conventional portal based solutions limits the economic feasibility of installing conventional technology at each entry lane for a terminal and limited availability of detection equipment can cause further congestion and delay in loading and unloading operations.
We have developed an apparatus and system for detecting items, such as weapons of mass destruction, in cargo containers, that is not encumbered by drawbacks associated with known apparatus and systems. The preferred invention involves the use of an adjustable apparatus universally adaptable to all sizes of container handling means that comprises one or more detecting means, preferably for detecting weapons of mass destruction, e.g. nuclear, biological or chemical weapons and, optionally, optical character recognition means. The apparatus is removeably secured to the container handling means and the detection means is used to analyze whether the contents of the cargo container includes weapons of mass destruction. The data is transmitted to a local processing system and may be incorporated into a shipping manifest for the cargo container. The data and/or manifest may then be transmitted to central processing unit prior to the cargo container reaching the sovereign territory of the point of destination.
The container handling means based detection device of the invention utilizes the existing loading step in the container movement cycle to scan the cargo container for weapons. Every cargo container must be loaded into a transportation means via the container handling means. By deploying the detection technology at this step in the supply chain, the flow of the cargo container is not impeded in any way. Scanning cargo containers in this manner will provide coverage for nearly all, if not 100%, of cargo containers loaded onto a transportation vehicle. Also, a container handling means based detection device provides a deployment mechanism that can travel with the transportation vehicle and can be attached to the container handling means during the loading process at any part of the world, which is particularly beneficial in the containerized shipping industry. This matching of the technology with the vessel reduces the financial investment by the industry and reduces maintenance requirements because the inventory of detection equipment is greatly reduced.